About Canuck Place
At Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, we care for children living with life-threatening illnesses and the families who love them. The term child encompasses pre-birth (families in the prenatal stage) to the age of 19. In some instances, a young adult diagnosed with a pediatric condition, and/or followed by pediatric specialists, could be considered a child for the Canuck Place program. Learn more about how and when you should refer a child to Canuck Place.
Why refer a child to Canuck Place?
Pediatric palliative care requires a holistic approach that addresses physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs. Our team works together with you and your health-care teams to identify care goals and provide family-centred care. It’s about providing comfort alongside treatment so kids can be kids.
Canuck Place gives children and families choices for care. Because choice is empowering.
How to refer a child
To refer a child, call 604-742-3476 or toll-free in BC at 1-877-882-2288 ext. 3476. You can also email intake@canuckplace.org.
For urgent referrals, please call the kids counter 604-742-3475 or request the Palliative Care physician through BC Children’s hospital paging system at 604-875-2161
Anyone can refer a family, and some families refer themselves. The family should be aware of and consent to the referral.
Please provide:
- Child’s name, date of birth, and Personal Health Number
- Contact details
- Contact details of medical professionals involved in child’s care
- Known care needs and current issues (if known)
If the child is eligible, we’ll contact the family and tell them more about the program.
Urgent Referrals
We accept urgent referrals 24/7. Please contact Canuck Place:
- Call 604-742-3475
- Toll-free within BC at 1-877-882-2288
Share with the clinical team the nature of the referral and urgency.
Bereavement referrals
A child’s illness progresses along a continuum—and includes bereavement, if needed. We support children and families through the entire care continuum. To request a consultation for bereavement services, families can contact us directly at bereavement@canuckplace.org.
Decision-making process
Once a week, Canuck Place reviews referrals. The important factor for our program is the presence of a progressive, life-threatening illness.
We consider if the child has a high likelihood of dying before adulthood, if quality of life is negatively affected, and the impact on caregivers. We also consider the child’s current health condition in the context of known populations in the field of pediatric palliative care.
Re-referral
When a child’s health condition doesn’t fit our program, the intake nurse will share the decision with the parents and the person who made the referral. Because status and conditions can change, a child can be re-referred.
We don’t just provide respite care, but focus on the challenges that children and families face with a progressive, life-threatening illness. Increasing decline and changes to a health status are a consideration for acceptance. This means a child with high care needs may not be accepted to our program if their overall condition is fairly stable.
What to expect on our program
Each family is unique. We adapt our approach depending on the child and family’s goals of care, the child’s health condition and trajectory of illness (known and unknown), and location of care. We normalize what families are going through by focusing on moments that matter.
On our program, families can expect:
- Person-centred care
- Quality of life
- Caring for the whole family
Questions? Find an answer here.
We recognize you may have a lot of questions. See the answers to our FAQs below.
